Our Studio
THE BRICK STORE
An 1830's General Store
As the charming headquarters for Christa Alexandra Designs it is a beautiful space for creative energy to unravel. On frosted winter mornings the glow of our windows provide a sanctuary of warmth, and on soft summer days you will find us cool and collected as we sketch out our clients custom designs.
It’s a place where aromatic coffee is always fresh, where we can watch the silver rains and mists rolling across green mountains, and where we are free to be boundlessly imaginative and innovative in the art of inheritance stationery and letterpress printing.
The Brick Store is the home of our beloved heirloom letterpress, it is a workshop where the whimsical becomes the wonderful. It is a space where we celebrate love, the lore of American makers, and the time-honored practice of our exquisite craft.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Take a Tour
While Christa often finds herself toasting congratulatory drinks with her clients in New York and Boston, Vermont is where her personal and business roots first grew, a place where authenticity and craft have a long standing tradition. In-keeping with her love for preserving heritage and history, Christa fell in love with an 1830’s antique general store.
Take a look at the building and all the details we love. She is currently renovating the storefront to make it more energy efficient, aiming to keep the interior and exterior elements much the same.
The Brick Store's Story
A Place of Words and Wonders
The Brick Store was a vision of russet red walls, dusty shelves, and worn down hardwood floors. But beyond the debris, Christa could see supple lines, windows for the light to stream in, and a strong timber frame. Driving past this store every so often, Christa felt a tug on her heart. As if something was calling her home.
A little digging through the town archives, and the story of this beautiful building came to life. The Brick Store made her mark as the town’s general provisions hub back in the early 19th century. Listen carefully and you could almost hear the sing-song ring of the old-fashioned register and doorbell greeting upon entrance. Owned by the Soule sisters, it was said to be a meeting point for Fairfield’s local women to gather, share secrets and inspiration, and to take each other’s words and wonders back to their own home.
From Letters to Stamps
A Space for a Thousand Stories
At the turn of the century, the store passed into the hands of another of Vermont’s vivacious women. After the United States Postal Service allowed women to become postmasters in 1933, The Brick Store served as the town’s post office for the next two decades. Home to scores of vintage stamps, scrawled notes, warm envelopes, scented letters and a thousand stories immortalized by the simple art of putting pen to paper.
Women at Store in the 1940's
An Echo Etched in the Walls
A Long History of Inspiring Women
The next chapter in The Brick Store’s life would see it turn into an antique and floral shop. Amidst the floral arrangements and coolers filled with buds of every color, treasures from east to west all found their home within the brick and mortar walls. Tarnished trinkets, sturdy furniture, and framed art left an echo in this special place. Yet, the link in the chain remained the same – for centuries, The Brick Store’s élan vital passed from female hand to female hand.
It was either chance or fate that led Christa to The Brick Store, and either way – we consider ourselves lucky to be set up in such an inspirational and historical building. Christa is the fourth owner of the store since being built 189 years ago.